Current trends indicate that national advertisers are seeking to boost their local online marketing efforts similar to SMB's (small to mid-size businesses), who remain big investors in local online marketing campaigns. This is in response to the consumer demand for easily accessible local information on their mobile devices. Research shows that local online marketing is growing, and this surge in growth is expected to continue.

Viewpoints on Local Online Marketing

A broad definition of local online marketing is that it is targeted toward a distinct localized target market based on location. This would include online search and display advertisement dollars spent by all companies, including national advertisers and SMB's.

A more drilled down viewpoint of local online ad spending is that invested on media which would include radio, television, and newspapers. There are some who do not consider search/display ads as a part of the local marketing strategy, and others who expand the ad target to also include cable, magazines, and online yellow pages.

A firm conclusion on what should be included when measuring ad investment calculations for local advertising is up in the air based on varying opinions on the subject.

What is the End Goal?

So what do companies hope to achieve priority wise as a result of their local ad campaign efforts? Opinions vary, but the majority was mainly concerned about attracting new customers.

* Almost half consider attracting new customers the top priority

* Less than 25% had concerns about targeting the right market

* And a mere 16% were concerned about targeting repeat customers

Local, Local, LOCAL

So what platforms are these businesses using for these local marketing campaigns?

* Many are of the mind that hyper-local publishing sites are the best platform for reaching advertising goals (StreetFightMag.com for example).

* About 33% mentioned daily deals as a preferred method, but not targeted necessarily at repeat customers but new prospective buyers instead

* About 26% believed location based services were the best platform

While opinions are divided on ad spending predictions for the future, most all do agree that growth will continue on into 2014 because the demand for local information will continue to escalate thanks to the popularity of mobile devices and their continued advancements in this area of service.

Mobile device users have come to heavily rely on the ability to search locally for what they want, with results in minutes regardless of where they are.

Do any of these stats surprise you? Do you have a locally focused online marketing plan in action? Why or why not?

About Alan Moore: Alan is an Internet Marketing Consultant with ReachLocal Baltimore. His mission is to help you increase your revenues and decrease unproductive advertising expenses through proven, online marketing strategies. He manages over $1,000,000 in yearly marketing budgets and has worked with local businesses, agencies and the US government. Give him a call at (877)655-3438 to schedule a free consultation.